Visitor interaction with networked resources such as web sites or networked e-mail is often tracked on behalf of the content servers by third party servers using beacons. Beacons are also known as tracking pixels or clear GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format). When a client device requests content from a content server, the content server directs the client device to submit an image request which includes a request for the beacon from a third party server. The image request may provide the third party server with client information and it can enable the third party server to receive, set or re-set client tracking identifiers such as third party cookies. In response to the image request, the third party server may also send a usually small (usually one pixel wide and one pixel high) and often transparent or inconspicuous beacon to the client device for display on an output device associated with the client device.
Third party servers may be involved in delivering a variety of services such as the collection of web metrics or the delivery of advertising. In some cases, it would be useful if a single image request from a client device could be redirected to multiple third party servers, thereby enabling the other third party servers to receive, set and/or re-set their own third party cookies associated with a client device. In some cases, this can be accomplished by embedding at least one beacon per targeted third party server in the content provided by a content server. This solution requires each content server to control beaconing along with their content, which may be challenging to manage. Furthermore, requiring the management of multiple beacons by the content provider can be a barrier to adoption for new services and new service paradigms.
In other cases, directing image requests to multiple third part servers may be accomplished by directing the client device to download a beaconing script, such as a JavaScript™ script, when content is provided by a content provider. For example, the beaconing script may include instructions to send image requests to each third party server in a list of hard coded third party servers. This type of solution does not easily enable dynamic or selective direction of image requests to third party servers; furthermore, changes to the list of hard coded third party servers can be cumbersome to manage.
What is needed is a system and method for centrally managing and administering beaconing to multiple third party servers which is simple to adopt.